THE COMPLETE WORK OF RAPHAEL

Another behemoth (11 x 15 x 3) that will barely make it from the shelf to the nearest table, assembling articles by Italian scholars on Raphael's painting, drawings, architecture; his collaborators, his relation to antiquity and Ancient Rome; his life, his sonnets and his critics. All are illustrated throughout in color and black-and-white and extensively annotated. The pieces vary in acuteness, the lengthy one on painting being rather more appreciative than penetrating, that on architecture making a distinct contribution in closely examining a neglected aspect of his work; specialists (and pragmatists) might well wish that they were available separately. For general reference, the book suffers seriously from lack of an index, making it impossible to locate the more than 900 illustrations to say nothing of specific information.